The invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for separating the gizzards from the entrails of poultry and for further processing said gizzards.
In an apparatus of this kind the gizzard is first separated from the further entrails, such as the gut, stomach and gullet, generally after having been removed from the carcass, whereupon the gizzard is cut open or slit, spread, cleaned on the inside and peeled to remove the inner lining thereof, see for instance the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,172,148 to Hill, 4,203,178 to Hazenbroek and 3,579,714 to Edwards.
More in particular, the Dutch Pat. No. 165,913 to Stork Brabant B.V. discloses a gizzard separating and processing apparatus, comprising a horizontally extending feed section for the infeed of the gizzards with the further entrails, such as the gut, the stomach and the gullet, attached thereto hanging down from the gizzards which feed section has at its rear end means, such as a rotating knife, for detaching and removing these entrails from the gizzard. Following the feed section is a conveying section which comprises slitting means for cutting open the gizzard, and a driven elongate conveying means longitudinally extending above a guide member for transporting the gizzard from the detaching means to the slitting means and then past spreading means and cleaning means to a peeling section. This known apparatus has two parallel horizontal shafts having a first portion provided with helical ribs for moving the gizzard towards the detaching means for removing the hanging-down entrails, said shaft further extending into a second portion, likewise provided with helical ribs but having a smaller diameter than said first shaft portion. After passing the detaching means, the gizzard is pushed downwardly by suitable means into the space between the thinner shaft portions onto the guide member therebelow to be moved by the helical ribs to the slitting means for cutting open the gizzard. This arrangement has the drawback that the gizzards during their downward movement between the thinner shaft portions of the conveying shafts will often make a turning movement, thus loosing their original correct orientation with respect to the slitting means. This is particularly the case for small gizzards which can easily pass through the slotlike space between the thinner portions of the conveying shafts while turning about their longitudinal axes. In a gizzard processing apparatus of the present type it is, however, essential that the gizzards whatever size they have, after the removal therefrom of the entrails, are fed to the slitting knife in such a position that this knife slits the gizzards at the location of the opening formed in the gizzard wall when the entrails are separated therefrom, and to such a depth that the gizzard can be easily folded open to enable the removal of the lining. If, however, the gizzard is not properly oriented with respect to the slitting knife and is cut open at a location beside or opposite said opening there is a risk that the gizzard is completely separated into two parts and thus can not be further processed.